Our mindset matters…hugely. It shapes how we experience the world and interact with it and others.
One element of mindset is our ability to assume a position of generosity over scarcity. Let me explain.
A scarce mindset sits in a space of deficit, competition, and vigilance. It struggles to see strengths, goals attained, or value added. It also holds grudges. It compares itself with others, looking for their faults and amplifying its greatness. It is vigilant about what others are or aren’t doing, or what is or isn’t happening.
Whereas a mindset of generosity celebrates the wins and picks the learnings from mistakes. A generous mindset looks upon others’ gifts with gratitude. It looks, listens and learns with appreciation. It also forgives. It is also a mindset focused on its purpose and the intent of creating positive ripples around itself.
We are all beautifully, flawfully human. There are times when we span the breadth of both generous and scarce mindsets, and all the colours of the rainbow in between. One thing we do need to remember is that our mindset is not who we are as a person.
The journey of recalibration to our higher self starts with awareness. Noticing with curiosity what mindset we are in, and gently navigating our mind (if needed) towards a more helpful headspace.
Personally, I know that when I am tired, and feeling overwhelmed, a scarce mindset can kick in. I also know that I am not alone in this predicament. It can happen to us all.
All I can share is what works for me from the perspective of my beautifully flawful human experience.
- Get active. Shake, shift, shuffle… do whatever you can to move. This requires doing something different until you are ready to move from your emotional brain into activating your prefrontal cortex, your thinking brain. It may be having a boogie in the lounge, digging in the garden, going for a walk or jogging, or cleaning up that storage room. Just move. Get out of your head-brain and into your body. Take your energy elsewhere.
- Give. Look around you, and notice where you can show generosity to others. Perhaps it is stopping to talk with someone, taking your unwanted clothes to an op shop, or offering to help someone. When we give, we activate happy hormones, reminding ourselves what it means to get out of our own way and be part of a community.
- Grow the gold. Look for the positives within the situation. Authentically and courageously look for the learnings in a situation. Seek the gold, however hard that may be. Note it down to remind yourself when you start spiralling into a scarce mindset.
- Boundaries. Review and reinstate boundaries you have let go or need to put in place. Perhaps you have given too much of yourself at the expense of your own equilibrium, or you continue to work when you need to be resting, or you have not allowed yourself any time for reflection and creation. Look at where your boundaries are, and make adjustments one step at a time.
Finally, and most importantly…
Grace. Give yourself the grace to be human. Treat yourself with gentleness and aroha. Speak to yourself kindly. It is when we give ourselves grace, that we are ready to give it to others.
